Prudential Building
About this property
The Guaranty Building, formerly called the Prudential Building, is an early skyscraper in Buffalo, New York. It was designed by Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler and completed in 1896. The building has been declared a National Historic Landmark and is located within the Joseph Ellicott Historic District. The 13-floor building, 167 feet (51 m) high, was the idea of Buffalonian businessman and entrepreneur Hascal T. Taylor. He planned to construct a speculative office building called "The Taylor Building" in the developing downtown district. The site Taylor chose was strategically located adjacent to the then County and City Municipal building and near a number of institutional structures. The intention was to attract high quality tenants such as lawyers through proximity, desirable amenities, and the captivating design of an avant garde architect like Sullivan. The Guaranty Construction Company was contracted to build. Hascal Taylor unfortunately died as the project was nearing construction, which resulted in the Guaranty's decision to take on the project alone. The Guaranty Building however was not alone among major private building projects in Buffalo at the time. Two blocks away, the Ellicott Square Building was being built to be the largest retail building in the world. This structure, still extant today, exhibits an alternate exploration in the possibilities of new commercial urban architecture by Charles B. Atwood and Daniel Burnham. As Buffalo's downtown rose above Lake Erie, further engineering feats were achieved including securing the future of the city and the built environment. Although earlier attempts had harnessed the power of nearby Niagara Falls, it was just after the Guaranty building was constructed in 1896 that the power was sent to Buffalo, illuminating the city with hydroelectricity. Buffalo's rise to prominence in the built environment was matched in the political. As the Guaranty building was being drafted, Grover Cleveland was re-elected 22nd president of the United States. A former Erie County Sheriff, Cleveland had quickly risen from mayor of Buffalo, to governor of New York and then the presidency within five years. His platform of reform against entrenched political machines, bossism, and patronage was desperately needed, especially in major urban centres such as New York and Chicago. Cleveland's fiscal policies had resulted in his loss of the presidency in 1888, but the results of Benjamin Harrison's interim term brought him back to the office in 1892. The panic of 1893 which ultimately destroyed the firm of Adler & Sullivan had not only destroyed Cleveland's first presidential term, but also resulted in Cleveland's return to office and the final commission of Adler & Sullivan in Buffalo.
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Prudential Building listed on the National Register?
Prudential Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 19, 1973.
What type of historic resource is Prudential Building?
Prudential Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
Is Prudential Building a National Historic Landmark?
Yes. Prudential Building has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.
What is the period of significance for Prudential Building?
The period of significance for Prudential Building is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Prudential Building?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Prudential Building will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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